Bilko - 50th Anniversary DVD on 5/9 (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

We're working on it, Michael. It's like pulling teeth to get the episode lists for the Star Trek compilations, and this is no better.

 

[Jonathan_Clarke]

Just read Mark Evanier's blog and he said there's a rights problem for Bilko season sets:

On May 9, Paramount is bringing out the much-awaited DVD of the show variously called Sgt. Bilko, The Phil Silvers Show and You'll Never Get Rich -- by any name, one of the best comedies ever done for television. Alas, this is one of the shows that has had clearance problems so they can't just release season by season. Instead, they've picked 21 episodes that they could clear, plus they have the never-aired pilot (which has Jack Warden playing Henshaw, the character played in the series by Allan Melvin) and a staggering number of special features, rare clips, commentary tracks, etc. This sounds like a must-get, and we can hope that if it sells well enough, that might give Paramount the financial incentive to try and mop up those clearance issues and do real season-by-season sets.

 

[Michael Alden]

That's interesting that a show that old could have any clearance problems. I would love to know what they are. There's certainly no music issues. It can't be residuals since there aren't any for DVD. Curious.

 

[JeffWld]

There aren't any residuals for broadcast either. For a show that has been a syndication staple for 45 years, it's a little late in the game to be discovering there are ownership/rights disputes [shakes head in disbelief].

 

[Steve...O]

It's probably not so much a question of broadcast rights in dispute, but home video rights. That can be a whole another ballgame (reference the confusion of who had home video rights over Get Smart). Why specific episodes are problems, I have no idea.

 

[Michael Alden]

Or it could be a load of BS. We have been fed so much crap regarding releases that I take anything a studio says with a grain of salt. Some examples:

Alf - The 5th generation dubs are better quality than the masters. Yeah, sure, and I'd like to buy that bridge you're selling too. Not that they were too lazy to rent a 1-inch machine.

Too Close for Comfort 1st Season - We didn't know they were cut. Just because the show is from 1980 and they all ran 22 minutes we didn't think something was wrong.

My Favorite Martian - We couldn't find complete tapes on a few episodes so we had to use the timesped ones. Really? I was at the warehouse that stores the show this summer and I saw multiple 35mm prints and negatives on every episode. What, Rhino couldn't think that maybe THE PRODUCER of the show might have copies? Actually, I'm sure they probably had 35mm prints themselves but they were too cheap to transfer them.

Any Steven Cannell show - Too much work to pick up a phone and clear any music. All that dialing (oops, sorry, button pushing) is so strenuous. Much easier to pull all the songs out and tell people it was too expensive.

And I forgot which show it was (Cosby? Roseanne?) where some moron had the gall to say that the show played better butchered up and cut.

So, excuse me if I don't take this statement about "rights issues" on a 51 year old show as cold, hard fact.

 

[GlennWD]

I got my set today in the mail from Overstock. A day before it is released. I only paid $12.17 what a great deal! This set is awsome, the extras are wonderful. My favorite so far are the Lost Audition Show, and a clip of Phil Silvers and Jack Benny on the Dick Cavett Show, it was very funny. I can't wait to watch the rest of the set tomorrow. Everyone should pick it up so that we can get full season sets in the future!!!

 

[Jeff#]

Not including the postage, they're charging $27.79 now. I hate how they only leave it at that below-wholesale price for too short a time. :frowning: Oh well, at least it's $1.25 less than the $29.04 that Deep Discount DVD is charging.